24th-25th October 2009, IBM Southbank

New BarCamp Attendees

To keep things fresh, we are trying something slightly different in the second phase of ticket giveaway. Instead of having separate tickets for first-time attendees, everyone enters the same lottery – but if you are a first-time attendee at BarCamp, you have a 50% higher chance of getting a ticket than a returnee. And if you don’t get a ticket during the lottery, don’t worry, there will still be an opportunity to get a ticket later.

Whilst we are not specifically giving tickets to Young Geeks, Girl Geeks, BCS members etc, we would be really pleased if these organisations would promote the opportunity to apply for a First Timer Ticket amongst their members (and of course, to those who have attended before).

How the Lottery Works

Between midday on the 30th September and midday on Saturday 3rd October we will provide an online form to fill in, for you to enter the ticket lottery. We would like you to complete as much information as possible here, as if you do get a ticket, it will really help us tailor the event to your specific needs (dietary requirements etc.) and save time later. There will be a box to check if you are a first-time BarCamp applicant.

Regular BarCamp attendees will, of course, have the opportunity to apply for tickets via the lottery too – just please make sure you don’t check the first-timer box – we will find out!!

After the closing date, names will be drawn from the list of applicants and we will be in touch with the winners to confirm their attendance. If you receive an email from us saying you have a ticket, PLEASE reply ASAP letting us know you can come along. Otherwise, we will re-allocate your ticket to someone else on the list. We will be giving away at least 60 tickets in the lottery round.

But I Like the Ticket Rush…

The remaining tickets will also be released in wave 3, (date TBA) in the “old” way – you can visit the Eventbrite booking page at a specific date and time, and scramble for tickets along with anyone else who still does not have a place.

Comments

I like this three stage idea. The treasure hunt is a good way to motivate people who *really* want a ticket. The lottery opens it up to more people (get a bit of new blood in there). The ticket rush is great for those who know they can be by a computer with a connection at a specific time.

I wondered if you’d considered doing separate Saturday and Sunday tickets. I know plenty of people who can’t commit to a whole weekend, but would still love to attend. It would help prevent the Sunday lull and would open it up to even more people.

I like this three stage idea. The treasure hunt is a good way to motivate people who *really* want a ticket. The lottery opens it up to more people (get a bit of new blood in there). The ticket rush is great for those who know they can be by a computer with a connection at a specific time.

I wondered if you'd considered doing separate Szturday and Sunday tickets. I know plenty of people who can't commit to a whole weekend, but would still love to attend. It would help prevent the Sunday lull and would open it up to even more people.